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Warning, this is going to be a long one !
So I did this pinstriping job for a guy a couple weeks ago on Sunday. He is building this bike for someone else. I went to his house in Lewisville to do the job. He tells me he is going to clear over it, so I put hardener in the striping paint. I was there probably 6-7 hours because I ended up painting the tank, rear fender, frame, and swing arm....all in three colors. I did metallic brass, maroon, then black, all in that order. By the time I got done with the job, the brass was completely dry. He had painted this goofy, fleor de lis-looking thing on the sides of the tank, which was turquoise with white panels on the sides. He wanted me to outline the symbol/emblem thing with the brass, separate the two colors with a brass line, and the do some maroon and black striping around the emblem, on the sides of the tank.
I told him to wait a MINIMUM of 2 days, might as well make it 3, before he cleared it.
Well then I get a call the following Friday saying that he waited 5 days and when he cleared it "de paint jus fall off". He's from Uraguay, so he speaks broken English. I'm like, WTF ?!?, what do you mean it fell off ?! He said when he cleared it, in his shed in the backyard, mind you, that the red just ran down the sides, and then when he tried to sand it, it wouldn't come off. So he tells me that he took it all back down to the metal, and re-did it, this time without the emblem on the sides of the tank. Hmmmmmm. I was thinking I was at fault because of something that happened with the paint, so I offered to drive out to his house and pick it up. He says, "no no no no no, das ok, I jus bring it to you." Hmmmmmm, red flag number two.
Then he brings it to me. When we're standing in my paint room at the house, I apologize and he says, "oh, is ok, is always someting go wrong." I said what do you mean ? He says, "oh you know, always, on every job, is someting go wrong." That got me to thinking. I've NEVER had a problem like he was describing, and I've been striping for 8-9 years. All of the stuff he was telling me wasn't adding up for it to be my fault. He said he "forgot" to take pictures. I don't know about any of you, but if that happened to me, I'd be taking some pictures to show the guy that did the striping !
So he leaves it with me to re-do it and I told him it wasn't going to be free because I didn't have any idea what he did when he cleared it and he was fine with that.
Fast forward to today. He sends me a text asking how it's coming. I told him I had been busy, and had car troubles that I had to get fixed, so I hadn't had a chance to work on it. He says that he will just come pick it up after I get off work because the guy wants it together by Christmas. I said "ok, I'll call you when I get home." A little while later he sends me a text and said that he talked to the guy and he said to go ahead and do it. Ok.
This is where it gets fucked up.
I had this Mexican guy call me today saying he builds a couple bikes a month and his pinstriper went back to Mexico so he needs to find someone to do his striping now. Ok cool, I can do that. He says, "I like simple stuff, not real big and flashy." Ok, I can do simple. Then he says he can send me some pictures of some of the stuff that his guy had done for him (the one that "went back to Mexico).
THIS MOTHERFUCKER SENDS ME TWO PICTURES OF THE BIKE THAT I JUST PAINTED THAT THE PAINT "FELL OFF OF" !!!
ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME ?!?!
I had to look at the pictures and the phone number for a second for it to sink in !! So I called the guy back and I'm like, "yeah man, that's some GOOD WORK, who did you say did it ?" He then says, "oh, uh, his name was Marco. Yeah, yeah, he go back to Mexico."
I couldn't fucking believe this guy, so I just told him I was busy at work and that I would call him back. Meanwhile, I have what is obviously his tank, fender, and air cleaner at my house to re-stripe.
So what should I do ?! I know some of you devious fuckers on here can come up with something good. I am going to stripe it tonight, then call the other guy and tell him it's done. After he picks it up, and pays me again, I'm going to call the other guy and tell him I'm ready to paint his stuff. Haha !
-Aaron
So I did this pinstriping job for a guy a couple weeks ago on Sunday. He is building this bike for someone else. I went to his house in Lewisville to do the job. He tells me he is going to clear over it, so I put hardener in the striping paint. I was there probably 6-7 hours because I ended up painting the tank, rear fender, frame, and swing arm....all in three colors. I did metallic brass, maroon, then black, all in that order. By the time I got done with the job, the brass was completely dry. He had painted this goofy, fleor de lis-looking thing on the sides of the tank, which was turquoise with white panels on the sides. He wanted me to outline the symbol/emblem thing with the brass, separate the two colors with a brass line, and the do some maroon and black striping around the emblem, on the sides of the tank.
I told him to wait a MINIMUM of 2 days, might as well make it 3, before he cleared it.
Well then I get a call the following Friday saying that he waited 5 days and when he cleared it "de paint jus fall off". He's from Uraguay, so he speaks broken English. I'm like, WTF ?!?, what do you mean it fell off ?! He said when he cleared it, in his shed in the backyard, mind you, that the red just ran down the sides, and then when he tried to sand it, it wouldn't come off. So he tells me that he took it all back down to the metal, and re-did it, this time without the emblem on the sides of the tank. Hmmmmmm. I was thinking I was at fault because of something that happened with the paint, so I offered to drive out to his house and pick it up. He says, "no no no no no, das ok, I jus bring it to you." Hmmmmmm, red flag number two.
Then he brings it to me. When we're standing in my paint room at the house, I apologize and he says, "oh, is ok, is always someting go wrong." I said what do you mean ? He says, "oh you know, always, on every job, is someting go wrong." That got me to thinking. I've NEVER had a problem like he was describing, and I've been striping for 8-9 years. All of the stuff he was telling me wasn't adding up for it to be my fault. He said he "forgot" to take pictures. I don't know about any of you, but if that happened to me, I'd be taking some pictures to show the guy that did the striping !
So he leaves it with me to re-do it and I told him it wasn't going to be free because I didn't have any idea what he did when he cleared it and he was fine with that.
Fast forward to today. He sends me a text asking how it's coming. I told him I had been busy, and had car troubles that I had to get fixed, so I hadn't had a chance to work on it. He says that he will just come pick it up after I get off work because the guy wants it together by Christmas. I said "ok, I'll call you when I get home." A little while later he sends me a text and said that he talked to the guy and he said to go ahead and do it. Ok.
This is where it gets fucked up.
I had this Mexican guy call me today saying he builds a couple bikes a month and his pinstriper went back to Mexico so he needs to find someone to do his striping now. Ok cool, I can do that. He says, "I like simple stuff, not real big and flashy." Ok, I can do simple. Then he says he can send me some pictures of some of the stuff that his guy had done for him (the one that "went back to Mexico).
THIS MOTHERFUCKER SENDS ME TWO PICTURES OF THE BIKE THAT I JUST PAINTED THAT THE PAINT "FELL OFF OF" !!!
ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME ?!?!
I had to look at the pictures and the phone number for a second for it to sink in !! So I called the guy back and I'm like, "yeah man, that's some GOOD WORK, who did you say did it ?" He then says, "oh, uh, his name was Marco. Yeah, yeah, he go back to Mexico."
I couldn't fucking believe this guy, so I just told him I was busy at work and that I would call him back. Meanwhile, I have what is obviously his tank, fender, and air cleaner at my house to re-stripe.
So what should I do ?! I know some of you devious fuckers on here can come up with something good. I am going to stripe it tonight, then call the other guy and tell him it's done. After he picks it up, and pays me again, I'm going to call the other guy and tell him I'm ready to paint his stuff. Haha !
-Aaron
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